Old Time Memories
by Daelena
Summary: When Jack realizes that Ianto missed his fifteen-year high school reunion, they make good use of having a friend who is a time traveler. Ianto/Jack. Fortieth in the "Immortal Janto" series.


Old Time Memories

_Disclaimer__: Yep, really no owning on my part here._

_Summary__: When Jack realizes that Ianto missed his fifteen-year high school reunion, they make good use of having a friend who is a time traveler. Ianto/Jack. Fortieth in the "Immortal Janto" series._

_Yet again, something that popped into my mind that I felt the need to write. Anyways, I thought that it would be interesting to see Ianto interact with people who knew him when he was younger, before he got involved with Torchwood and met Jack – back when he was younger._

_All mistakes belong fully to me._

_So, without further ado, I present the latest installment in the "Immortal Janto" series._

It wasn't too noisy and the DJ was playing decent enough music. The music drifted from the ballroom and into the lobby.

In the grand scheme of things, this wasn't the worst place to spend an evening – unless, of course, you're Ianto Jones and your husband of more than twenty years decides that it would be a brilliant idea to coerce the Doctor into dragging you back into time to your fifteen-year reunion from high school.

Jack's heart was in the right place. Ianto had missed his ten-year reunion, mainly due to the unfortunate fact that the world thought that he was dead. He had also missed this particular reunion the first time around because, at the time that it was going on, Jack was pregnant with Annabelle.

Honestly, Ianto didn't know why Jack was so insistent that they come, after he had found the invitation in some of their old papers, but Jack had thought that it would be nice, especially since, at that particular time in Earth's timeline, people assumed that Ianto had faked his death and had been in Witness Protection. From there, it had only been a matter of asking the Doctor (and the TARDIS) to help them get back in time for the reunion – and disguise Ianto's hair. As much as he liked the gray streaks, it would raise way too many questions as to why they were there, especially when he was supposed to be in his early thirties.

Temporary hair dye was a wonderful thing, though Ianto was not going to make it a habit. He was too attached to the streaks now.

But, now that they were here, it did seem like a nice prospect.

Ianto was a little glad that he had forgone the tie and suit jacket this evening. He felt more relaxed. Jack had pouted a bit with the lack of tie, though Ianto had seen the little flash of delight that sparked through Jack's eyes when he saw the waistcoat on the bed. To be perfectly honest, Ianto did like wearing them and he knew that Jack always appreciated it when he wore a waistcoat.

He walked towards the door of the ballroom, his trench coat swirling around him.

If he was going to go to his reunion, then he was going to wear his trench coat. That's what he had told the Doctor when the Time Lord had dropped them off and had raised his eyebrow in surprise at his appearance. The coat was comfortable, familiar, and had an air of gravity.

Plus, Jack had run off a few minutes before, saying that he had to check something before he met up with Ianto. Until then, Ianto was going to have to wait to introduce the love of his life to his former classmates.

A little smile crossed his lips at the thought of Jack.

No doubt more than a few people would be hitting on Jack, meaning that Ianto would take great pleasure in being possessive.

He walked up to the check-in desk, giving two people manning the desk a pleasant smile. Briefly, he glanced at their nametags and placed them – Emris Davies and Georgia Hopkirk.

Memories of high school came flooding back. Emris and Georgia had been friendly enough with him back then, though he had lost touch with them after he moved to London and started at Torchwood. When he had returned to Cardiff, he had emailed them sporadically (when the job allowed) and met occasionally, though not enough to forge a strong friendship. And then . . . well, he died, so that nixed any further contact.

"Hello," Georgia said, looking up at him, studying his face. A smile split across her face. "Ianto Jones, it's been a long time."

Ianto nodded. "Longer than you can imagine."

Emris laughed a bit. "You could say that, Mr. Action. Witness Protection? Honestly, Ianto, it's like you were purposefully avoiding everyone there for a while."

He drew a careful breath, collecting his thoughts. "It wasn't like I meant to cut people out," Ianto explained, "but, secrecy being what it is, I had to keep as many people out of the loop as I could. Hell, I couldn't even tell my parents I was still alive."

Georgia's eyes were sparkling with laughter. She shifted through the papers in front of him, checking him off the list. She tilted her head to the side as she pulled out his nametag.

"Says here you've got a guest coming with you," she commented, clearly prompting him to answer that question.

Ianto nodded. "We had to come separately. Work reasons, I promise. I came ahead to get us signed in."

"Because he gets mad when work interrupts relaxing evening," a fourth voice said from behind Ianto. Ianto smiled a bit as Jack slipped up next to him, folding his greatcoat over his arm carefully, earning a raised eyebrow from Ianto. Jack gave him a little pout. "Oh come on, Ianto, I pay attention when you yell at me for being careless and causing wrinkles."

"Even when your eyes are glazed over, Jack?"

Jack laughed. "Maybe not _all_ the time, but you know that I'm thinking about you when that happens." Ianto shook his head at the flirtatious tone. Typical Jack Harkness. Jack looked at Emris and Georgia with a bright smile and a suggestive wink. "Captain Jack Harkness, the dashing plus one of one sexy Ianto Jones."

"Jack!"

He rolled his eyes expertly.

Emris recovered first, fishing the nametags from Georgia's hands. "Right, here we are. Nametags all sorted out."

Jack took both from the man and attached his to his shirt before looking over at Ianto. He raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"No, Jack, this will not be a strip-tease."

"Aw, you're such a spoil sport, Ianto."

Ianto suppressed the exasperated sigh and the accompanying smile. Jack was enjoying himself and, well, Ianto wouldn't have him any other way. "I know you, Jack and, as much as I love you, I am not going to subject my former classmates to the filth that runs around your brain."

"Admit it. You love my filthy brain, Ianto." Jack's smile was radiating and teasing.

"I do, just not when we're supposed to be making a good, _normal_ impression to the rest of the planet."

Both Emris and Georgia snorted into their hands.

"You haven't changed a bit, Ianto," Emris commented. "Still keeping everyone in their place."

Jack grinned broadly. "That's one of the reasons why I love him."

"That, and I make you coffee," Ianto added. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing more people arrive. "Well, we won't keep you any longer. We'll see you in there."

With a smile and a wave, both men proceeded into the ballroom. Ianto took his nametag from Jack and clipped it to his waistcoat. He pulled his trench coat off. There was a coat check table in one corner and they left their coats there, side by side, seemingly innocuous.

"High school reunions," Jack commented, as they made for the open bar. "Don't have those in the 51st century or, if they do, I never went." The American immortal surveyed the room. "Though, now that I'm here, I have to say, it's kind of a brilliant idea."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, you get to see how people changed and what's going on. Not everyone has the luxury of time travel to catch up with people."

Moments later, they got their drinks and were slowly walking around the perimeter of the room when they were accosted by a trio of people. Ianto slipped a well-practiced smile on his face.

"Ianto, I can't believe you're here," Gerry Robinson said, reaching out to shake Ianto's hand. "Last I heard, you were dead."

"Silly rumor, really," Ianto replied. "I'm not that easy to kill."

"Obviously," Martin Smith said, smiling. Ianto remembered that Martin had been one of those people who had been very happy that Ianto had gone to be an archivist and junior researcher, even if he had been with Torchwood One. "Though I heard about Canary Wharf, mate. If you can survive that, you can survive anything, I reckon."

Ianto nodded and heard Jack's quiet wince, suppressing his own wince. Canary Wharf held bad memories for Ianto.

"It's been a long time since I worked out of London."

The woman in the group, Brenda Williams, giggled. "Word was that you were in Cardiff, working with – what was it – special ops there, and that got you into some trouble. What was that group you worked with again? Torchwood?" She sighed. "Strange group, though, you've clearly done well for yourself."

He saw how she eyed up both him and Jack. Jack saw it too, he knew.

"By my personal standards, yeah, I'm doing all right," Ianto commented. He shifted, closing the distance between himself and Jack some, sharing a look with his husband. "Gerry, Martin, Brenda, I'd like you to meet Jack Harkness."

Jack reached a hand out and shook all of their hands. "_Captain_ Jack Harkness, Ianto's husband." The American immortal took Ianto's hand and kissed his cheek. "You torment me, Yan!"

Brenda gaped, clearly surprised that Ianto was married to another man. Gerry was quiet and fuming. Martin, on the other hand, gave the two of them a little smile.

"I remember, once upon a time," Martin commented, "you hated it whenever anyone called you that, Ianto."

He chuckled, thinking. "Things changed. Time passed. I met Jack."

Jack grinned. "Met? Stalked? Same difference." Ianto gave him a steady look, if reproachful and reprimanding, look. "But you make godly coffee, Ianto, and you kept us running smoothly in Cardiff. What would we have done without you?"

"Probably gone mad. Between a caffeine-deprived and well-equipped Owen, a cranky Gwen, and the brilliantly warped mind of Toshiko, you wouldn't have known how to handle yourself."

Oh the memories.

"Well, you're right about that," Jack conceded.

The three gave the odd looks. "You were both with this Torchwood?"

Ianto nodded. Torchwood was, by this point, remembered by most of the world as the organization that could handle the weird – well, before U.N.I.T. stepped in. Even then, he and Jack occasionally did things in the name of Torchwood Three, when their unique expertise was required.

"We were," he said. "Jack led and I administrated."

"And managed the archives and kept us operating and kept us in constant supply of the best coffee in the known universe," Jack added, looking between Gerry, Martin, and Brenda, his tone indicating that he was dead serious. "Don't be fooled by that exterior. Ianto's coffee can end wars."

And it had, in more than one case, not that they were going to tell _those_ stories.

"Oh, I believe it," Gerry admitted, smiling a bit, looking at Ianto. "If I remember correctly, didn't you work at the local coffee shop part time during high school? Something about saving up for your own shop one day?"

That memory came back to him and Ianto nodded through the remorse of his unfulfilled dreams.

"Yeah, I did." He looked at Jack, saw the questioning look in his eyes, and elaborated, "That's where I first learned how to make coffee. It was this local shop, around the corner from school and the couple that owned it were very generous in hiring me. Winifred was the one who taught me how to make coffee and to bake. She was a mentor to me, back in those days, and put up with all of my crap. She helped straighten me out too. I miss her."

Jack grinned appreciatively. "Well then, I owe this Winifred, more than she'll ever know." He pulled Ianto close to him and kissed him lightly.

Ianto smiled and, knowing that they had an audience, kept the show from going to where Jack would inevitably take it. Jack's little pout was so rewarding.

He turned back to the three in front of them and swiftly changed the topic away from them. Jack's arm stayed firmly around his waist for the rest of the conversation, as if Jack was staking his claim on Ianto for the rest of the gathered crowd to see.

Not that Ianto minded at all.

It was nice when Jack was possessive of him. It meant that Jack had recognized the fact that there were people who were ready to flirt with both of them. Normally, Jack would harmlessly flirt back but, on the rare occasion, said flirting might do more harm than good.

Besides, Jack was so sexy when he went out of his way to be possessive.

In the end, the evening was successful. Ianto and Jack had managed to stave off the worst of the flirters and had answered (fairly honestly) the questions that were posed to them about what they did and how they met. Most of Ianto's former classmates had heard, in passing, about Torchwood, mainly from the rumor mill that extended from Cardiff, though the name of Torchwood had been circulated some during the events of Miracle Day.

A few hours later, as the reunion was ending, Jack and Ianto reclaimed their coats, slipping them on.

As they walked out of the room, side by side, head held high, Ianto noticed how a few people seemed to back away from them, not because they were scary or intentionally being imposing. It was something else, Ianto realized.

And, when the Doctor came to reclaim them, he realized that it was how at ease both were with one another, how they were able to move in sync with each other, silently communicating. Well, he admitted to himself, they had had years of practice to perfect it and they would have many years to come.

When they had retreated into the depth of the TARDIS, into their suite, Ianto drew Jack in for a kiss.

"Thank you for making me go to the reunion, Jack."

Jack grinned the trademark Harkness grin. "It was fun, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah it was."

"You know, we're going to have to go see that Winifred lady and the coffee shop you used to work at, Ianto."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Really, Jack?"

He already knew the answer to that question before he opened his mouth.

"Well, yeah, if you were going to open your own shop, I want to see where it all started." Jack gave him a sneaky grin. "Plus, I want to see if their coffee is better than yours."

"I think it is," Ianto admitted. "I try to match their standards, though I've had ages to practice."

Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "I don't know about _that_, but I want to go see it anyway, because that shop was important to you."

And Ianto understood.

"Love you, Jack."

"Love you too, Ianto."

_So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Let me know! _

_As always, I will have the next "Immortal Janto" story posted as soon as I can. In the meantime, keep on reviewing. I love reviews. They give me inspiration and the needed push to keep on writing. _


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